What is Ghost
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform launched in 2013, focused on professional publishing. It allows media makers to build and host their own websites, publish content, and monetize their audience through memberships. Known for its flexibility, Ghost offers a range of customisation options and integrations, making it a powerful tool for media businesses.
The bottom line:
Ghost is ideal for large media businesses looking to independently host their own membership solutions, even if it requires high upfront investments
What is Steady
Founded in 2016, Steady is a Berlin-based membership platform that’s popular with European media makers who want to build communities across multiple channels. Like Ghost, Steady is an all-in-one solution, offering plenty of website integrations and advanced monetisation tools. However, as a Software as Service platform (Saas), Steady provides ready-made solutions, eliminating the need for additional development work. Regardless of the size of your publication, it’s easy to start a free newsletter/blog and add paywalls to build a membership community.
The bottom line:
Steady is perfect for EU-based media makers who want to start a professional membership project without extensive dev work, with zero upfront cost.
Key features
Free newsletter tool
Publish articles as newsletters
Personalised audio RSS feed for
members-only content
Spotify integration for subscription content
Collect payments directly on your website
Paywall integration on your website to attract
paying members
Adblock detection
overlay feature to promote your project when a site visitor is using an ad blocker
Drip Campaigns
automated Email Marketing for abandoned carts, unsubscribes and more
Option to create unlimited paid tiers for members
VAT calculated and managed automatically
Annual plans
Membership analytics
Comment and reaction features on posts
Support with growing your membership
Comparing the rest...
Revenue fees
Steady and Ghost rely on different business models, which means your cost structure will vary widely depending on the platform you use.
With Ghost, you can choose between four pricing tiers with different features and functions: Starter, Creator, Team, and Business. The final price for each tier depends on the size of your audience, with it increasing as you acquire new members or free subscribers. This makes the monthly pricing of Ghost vary widely, ranging from €8 to €2300 per month. Additionally, there are setup costs to consider if you choose to use Ghost. Building a functioning website and membership technology will require hiring a professional developer, which may cost anywhere starting from €1,000 and upwards.
Regardless of the size of your publication and the features you use, Steady charges a 10% fee on your earnings. You can integrate the Steady product into your website with a few simple clicks, cutting all setup and development costs. Ultimately, there’s no upfront cost in starting a membership on Steady – you will only be charged once you start making money, and your earnings will always be higher than your costs.
The winner:
Draw. It may be more convenient to use one platform or the other depending on your goals, possibilities, and needs. If you’re up for a big upfront investment, the relative cost of using Ghost will be very high initially but will decrease as you scale. On Steady, you will get an equally professional solution with zero upfront costs, but the 10% fee may impact you more significantly once you reach larger audiences,
Integrations and add-ons
Ghost is an open-source platform with extensive integration capabilities through APIs and third-party tools. It is ideal for those who want to build a custom solution.
Just like Ghost, Steady integrates with a wide range of tools including WordPress, MailChimp, Spotify and more, acting as a CRM for all your needs.
The winner:
Draw. Both platforms offer robust integration capabilities, though Ghost requires more technical setup. The best choice for you depends on the channels you value most. For example, Steady offers a wider range of options for podcasters.
Migrating to
Steady or Ghost
If you already have an audience, how easy is it to switch to a new membership platform? Both Steady and Ghost make it easy to import your mailing list in minutes. Ghost supports imports from other popular platforms including Mailchimp, Beehiiv, Substack, and others. Similarly, Steady also makes it easy to import existing members from these platforms and more with full GDPR compliance.
The winner:
Draw. Both platforms make it easy to migrate your contacts.
THE VERDICT